Malaysia Airlines has appointed a new chief executive after the surprise departure of Peter Bellew last week to rejoin Ryanair.

Bellew is currently on administrative leave, and when he officially leaves Malaysia Airlines on 1 December 2017, current chief operating officer Captain Izham Ismail will take over as group chief executive.

Izham Ismail joined the airline as a pilot 38 years ago and has worked his way through various management positions.

From 1 December 2017, when he moves back to Ireland, Bellew will assume responsibility for all Ryanair’s flight operations, ground operations and engineering – but his immediate priority will be pilots. He will take responsibility for pilot training and career development.

Bellew’s primary mission will be to ensure that the pilot rostering fiasco which Ryanair suffered in early September “will never be repeated”. The effects of the rostering blunder continue to bug the airline, with hundreds of flights cancelled.

Malaysia Airlines said last week it had taken note of Ryanair’s “unexpected announcement” on hiring Bellew, and would make its own announcement in due course. It later named Izham Ismail’s appointment.